Cooling system



March 6, 1934. Y E. s, READ 1,949,812

COOLING SYSTEM Original. Filed July 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l i F/G'J.

March 6, 1934. E, s, READ 1,949,812

COOLING SYSTEM Original Filed July 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 aucun. 114

Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNTED STATES COOLING SYSTEM Earle S. Read, NewYork, N. Y., assigner of onefourth to Jos. M. Sanders, Jr., as trusteefor himself, J. H. Shott, A. G. Fox, A. L. Tyree, and C. W. Freeman, allof Bluefield, W. Va.

Application July 19, 1928, Serial No. 293,920 Renewed July 27, 1933 3Claims.

My invention relates to refrigeration, and more particularly to theapplication of refrigeration to parts of machinerywhere cooling isdesirable or essential for the proper operation thereof.

The diiculty of cooling parts of machinery has always been a hindrancein the design and construction thereof. One particular industry in whichthe cooling problem has played an important part is that of the designand manufacture of internal combustion engines.

In this eld, two predominating methods of cooling have been developedalong with the industry, that of circulating water through jacketssurrounding the parts to be cooled and that of circulating a current ofair over the exposed parts of structure. Each of these systems hasadvantages and disadvantages over the other. In the case of air cooling,it is necessary to provide the parts to be cooled with ns or other meansfor increasing the surface exposed to the cooling air. With air coolingthere is a greater tendency to overheat than with water cooling, butthere is the advantage of the absence of an intermediate cooling mediumwhich may cause trouble from freezing or overheating from evaporation.

Engines to be Water-cooled must be provided with jackets sufficientlylarge to insure proper cooling with the temperature drop available. Thejackets must be cast of material sufficiently thick to prevent fracturesdue to the cooling medium freezing therein. In casting cylinders adaptedto be water-cooled, many difficulties are met, resulting fairly highcost of production.

In utilizing the water-cooling system, it is necessary to provide aradiator of sufficient capacity to prevent overheating of the enginewhen under load. Radiators are usually made of copper, or alloyscontaining copper, to secure an eliclent heat transfer from the airthrough the radiator to the water. As is well known, a radiator for anordinary interna-1 combustion engine weighs considerablc and isrelatively expensive.

The deficiencies of the cooling system now in common use is morepronounced when such systems are applied to engines of racingautomobiles,

for instance, wherein a maximum amount of cooling is desirable withapparatus of minimum weight. In some cases, the cooling systems ofracing automobiles have been supplied with cubes of ice to keep thetemperature of the water from becoming` excessive, but even then, aftera time excessive temperatures have been reached.

Another system of cooling is that utilizing the latent heat ofevaporation of water. It can be seen that this system inherentlycontains many of the disadvantages of the water cooling system and forthat reason is not decidedly advantageous thereover.

An object of my invention is to provide' a cooling system for aninternal combustion engine that (Cl. 12S-170) lacks the disadvantages ofsystems heretofore used.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cooling system for aninternal combustion engine wherein a refrigerant is expanded in directheat exchange relation with the parts to be cooled.

Another object of my invention is to apply a refrigerating system tomachinery in general to permit operation thereof at high speeds.

With these and other objects in view which may be incident to myimprovements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations to behereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that theseveral necessary elements ccmprising my invention, may be varied inconstruction, proportions and arrangement, without departing from thespirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

My invention contemplates cooling parts of internal combustion enginesand other machinery to insure the proper operation thereof, even underextremely adverse operating conditions. In cooling the internalcombustion engine or other machinery a refrigerant is compressed,condensed and expanded into a chamber mounted in heat exchange relationwith the parts to be cooled. In applying my invention to an internalcombustion engine such as would be used in an automobile, a compressoris mounted in a suitable manner on the frame thereof, and is adapted tobe driven by the engine. A suitable drive is provided which may beoperated to vary the speed of the compressor and consequently the outputof the refrigerating system under varying loads applied to the engine.

When an internal combustion engine is cooled according to my invention,all disadvantages inherent in the systems heretofore used areelimina-ted, and as there is no Water used, the danger from freezing isentirely avoided. In this respect, however, my invention is much moreadvantageous than the air cooling system in that a greater cooling ratecan be obtained than with the air-cooled system.

The different pieces of apparatus constituting the refrigerating systememployed in carrying out my invention may be arranged in any manner mostdesirable and adaptable to the particular engine to which it is applied,also the moving parts may be connected with the power shaft of theengine by any means commonly used in transmitting power from a source toa point of utilization.

While in the following description a preferred form of my invention willbe describedin detail, it will be clear that many modifications can bemade and yet be within the scope of my invention.

The invention can be best understood when considered with the followingdescription, and in connection with the accompanying drawings in whichFig. 1 shows a side elevation of an internal combustion engine with mynovel cooling apparatus applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the internal combustion engine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detailed View showing the arrangement of the cooling coilson the cylinders and the valve chambers.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a slightly modified form.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing still another modified form.

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional View of a bearing provided with chambersfor a refrigerant.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, a conventional internal combustion engine 1of the multicylinder overhead valve type is shown adapted to be cooledby a refrigerating system. The particular refrigerating system shown inFig. 1 is of the type wherein a gaseous refrigerant is compressed andcooled to liquefaction and the liquefied gas expanded into expansionchambers, to thereby cool objects in contact with said chambers and fromwhich the refrigerant is returned to a compressor.

As shown in the drawings, a compressor 2 is driven by the crank shaft ofthe engine through a suitable pulley and disc arrangement which will bedescribed later. Compressor 2 is connected by means of a flexibleconnection 3 with an air cooled condenser 4 in which the gaseousrefrigerant compressed in the compressor is condensed.

The condenser 4 is shown mounted on the side of the engine but it may beplaced in any position, at any point on the vehicle carrying the engine.As there is no need for a water-cooling radiator on an automobileprovided with my invention the condenser 4 could be placed in theforward part of the vehicle in the place usually occupied by theradiator. The condenser 4 can 'also be mounted under the engine where itwill be subjected to the cooling effects of the air currents as theautomobile is moving. As shown in the drawings, the tubing forming thecondenser is provided with cooling fins 4' to secure a more ecienttransfer of heat from the air surrounding the condenser to therefrigerant therein.

The condenser 4 is connected with a receiver 5 to which the fluidcondensed in the condenser is adapted to flow by gravity. The receiver 5may be arranged in any desirable place on the vehicle, but is preferablymounted in such a relation to the condenser to permit the condensedrefrigerant to flow thereinto by gravity. The arrangement of parts maybe decided on, upon the application of the refrigerating system tovarious types of engines.

A suitable valve 6 mounted on one end of lthe receiver 5 controls theamount of refrigerant admitted to a conduit '7, arranged to conduct therefrigerant to a plurality of expansion valves 8. The valves 8 may be ofany suitable type, although it is preferable to use the type of valvethat is so constructed that none of the refrigthe operating means.

As shown in Fig. 1 the expansion valves 8 are placed to supplyrefrigerant to groups of two cylinders. By this arrangement oneexpansion valve provides a controlling means for supplying therefrigerant to the two cylinders. Each of the expansion valves isprovided with an inlet 9 and an outlet 1G which communicates with theexpansion chambers in each group of cylinders. Each of the expansionvalves is provided with a Valve stern 11 on which is mounted a gearwheel 12. The shaft 13 is carried by supports 14 mounted on the cylinderblock of the engine. Mounted on the shaft 13 are suitable pinions 15adapted to mesh with the gears 12 on the stems of the expansion valves.Shaft 13 carrying a hand wheel 42 is adapted to be extended through thedash of the automobile in which the internal combustion engine iscarried, so as to provide an easily accessible means for controlling theexpansion valves 8 in unison.

Connected with each of the expansion valves 8 is a plurality ofexpansion chambers, arranged in heat exchange relation with the parts ofthe engine to be cooled. Each group of expansion chambers supplied withrefrigerant through the valves 8 is independently connected by suitableconduits 37 with a manifold 38 adapted to return the expandedrefrigerant to the compressor 2. The manifold 38 is communicatinglyconnected to the compressor 2 through a flexible coil member Thecompressor is provided with intake and discharge valves 40 and 41 whichare of a conventional type and need not be described in detail.

When in operation, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 2 andpassed to the condenser 4, wherein it is condensed and from which itflows into the receiver 5. The valve 6 is regulated to meet theconditions to be imposed on the system. Valves 8, whenassembled, areadjusted so that they may be equally controlled in unison, to admit anequal amount of refrigerant to each group of cylinders supplied by eachvalve. The valves 8 are adjusted by turning the hand wheel 42 until theproper adjustment is had to secure the amount of refrigeration desired.The refrigerant after expansion is withdrawn from the expansion chambersinto the manifold 38 and back to the compressor 2 to be recompressed andrecirculated.

One form of expansion chamber similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1 isshown in detail in Fig. 3 in which a coil i6 is adapted to convey anexpanding refrigerant about a valve chamber 17 of a cylinder 18. After afluid flows through the coil about the valve chamber, it is adapted toflow through the expansion coil 19 mounted about the cylinder 18. Inorder to retain the coils 16 and 19 in their correct positions, suitablegrooves are provided in the walls about the valve chambers and about thecylinder 18.

By referring to Fig. 2, the manner in which the coils conducting arefrigerant are arranged on the cylinders and valve chambers, can bemore readily understood. expansion va'lve 8 with the coil 16 about anexhaust valve chamber of one of the cylinders A of the group of two. Thecoil 16 is connected by a suitable conduit with coil 16 about theexhaust valve chamber of the other cylinder B of the i group of two. Thecoil 18 is connected with a coil 162 arranged about the inlet Valvechamber A conduit 43 connects the f of the cylinder B and the coil 162is connected with coil 163 about the inlet valve chamber of the cylinderA.

Coil 163 is connected by a conduit 44 with the coil 19. As shown in Fig.2 the coil 19 consists of a conduit which is helically woven around andbetween cylinders A and B. The coil 19 starts at the upper portion ofcylinder A, extends around the same between cylinders A and B, overaround cylinder B, back between the cylinders, around cylinder A, etc.,until an amount of tubing is placed in heat exchange relation with thecylinders to eiect sufficient cooling of the cylin ders under theconditions to which they will be subjected. By so arranging the coil onthe cylinders, it takes the form of a figure 8.

With an arrangement of cooling coils just described, the refrigerantwill first enter the coils about the exhaust valve chambers of cylindersA and B, and then will flow to the coils about the inlet valve chambersand thence to the coils about the cylinders A and B. Such an arrangementis desirable, particularly since the coolest refrigerant is supplied tothe exhaust valves which require the greatest amount of cooling. Themanner of arranging the coils may be modined to suit the application ofthe cooling system to various types of engines. In some cases certaincoils may be eliminated and certain othercoils may be increased incapacity to afford a greater amount of cooling.

A slightly modified form of my invention is shown 'in Fig. 4 whichdiffers from that shown in Fig. 3, in that the expansion chamber aboutthe valve chambers consists of a jacket 20, rather than a coil 16 asshown in Fig. 3. There may be certain instances when such an arrangementmay prove desirable over one such as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In Fig.4, the expanding refrigerant enters the jacket 20 through an inlet 21.After owing through the jacket 20, the refrigerant is conducted by meansof a conduit 22 into a coil 19' identical with that shown in Fig. 3,mounted about the cylinder 18.

Fig. 5 shows still another modified form of my invention in which boththe valve chambers and the cylinder are provided with jackets ratherthan coils such as shown in Fig. 3. In the form of this invention therefrigerant enters the jacket 23 about the valve chamber through asuitable inlet 24 and then flows downwardly into the jacket 25 about thecylinder 182 and from there back to the refrigerating system through asuitable conduit 26.

My invention also contemplates the cooling of the bearings of aninternal combustion engine or of any other machine by lexpanding arefrigerant in heat exchange relation therewith. One

form of an arrangement for cooling bearings is shown in Fig. 6 in whicha support 27 for shaft carries a bearing seat 28. The bearing seat isprovided with a suitable space or jacket 29 i' in which a refrigerant isadapted to expand.

Mounted on the bearing seat is a bearing 30 of babbitt or other suitablebearing material. The cap 31 is provided with a jacket 32 similar tojacket 29 in the bearing seat 28. The cap 31 also carries bearingmaterial such as 33 similar to that indicated at 30 in the fixed part ofthe bearing. A conduit 34 connects the jacket of the fixed half of thebearing seat with the jacket in the cap of the bearing in such a manneras to provide for the flow of a refrigerant therethrough from one jacketto the other. An inlet 35 places the jacket 28 in communication with thesupply line from the refrigerating system,

' and the conduit 36 places the jacket 32 in communication with thereturn line of the refrigerating system.

When it is desirable to cool the bearings of an internal combustionengine, bearings similar to those described, or of any type havingchambers in which a cooling medium can be circulated are provided andthe expansion chambers are connected by suitable conduits and valveswith a refrigerating system such as shown in Fig. l. The refrigerant maybe admitted to the bearing directly from the refrigerant supply line ormay be first circulated through the coils surrounding the cylinders andvalve chambers and then into the jackets of the bearings.

Bearings similar to those just described may be applied on any type ofmachine in which bearings are necessary. By using a bearing of suchtype, cooled by an expanding refrigerant, extremely high speeds may beattained without the danger of burning out bearings or scoring theshaft. Such usage is particularly advantageous when it is desirable toincrease the speed of a machine above that for which it is designed, inorder to meet the demands of an overload.

In some installations, particularly when applied to an internalcombustion engine of an automobile, it is desirable to have some meansfor automatically controlling the amount of refrigeration applied to theparts to be cooled.

One method of accomplishing this result would be to provide a thermostatfor controlling the speed of the compressor. Another method ofaccomplishing the same result is by utilizing a means for affecting thespeed of the compressor upon variation in the grading of road over whichthe automobile is travelling.

Apparatus for carrying out the last method is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, inwhich the compressor 2 is mounted on a slotted base 46, over which it isadapted to slide. A pendulum 47 provided With a weight 4S of sufficientmass for the purpose for which it is supplied, is pivotally mounted at49 to the frame of the engine l. The free end of the pendulum isprovided with a pin adapted to engage in a slot 50 of a link 51 carriedby the compressor 2.

A disc 52 is mounted on the drive shaft of the compressor 2, and isarranged with relation to the frusta-conical pulley 53 as to be rotatedupon any rotation of the. pulley 53. The frusto-conical pulley 53 ismounted on a spindle which is rotatably carried by a suitable extensionof the gear housing 54 of the engine. A grooved pulley 55 is alsomounted on the spindle carrying the pulley 53 and is connected by a belt56 with Y a power pulley 57. Thus, when the engine is running, power istransmitted through the pulley 57, belt 56, pulley 55 and the spindle tothe pulley 53, which in turn imparts rotation to the disc 52 to operatethe compressor.

As before stated, the compressor is slidably i mounted on the base 46and in such a manner that the direction of travel of the compressor whenslid, is parallel to the surface of the disc 52. By causing thecompressor to move in a path ,a

be distorted. The material of which the pulley 53 is constructed, shouldbe one capable of insuring an efficient frictional engagement betweenthe pulley and the disc.

When in operation and the vehicle is running on level ground, thecompressor will be in the position shown in Fig. 1. If, however, thevehicle starts up a grade, the pendulum 47 will tend to rotatecounterelockwise and slide the compressor forward on its base. By somoving the compressor, the pulley 53 will engage on the disc nearer thecenter thereof. It is obvious that by changing the relation of the discand pulley as described, the speed of the compressor relative to that ofthe pulley 53 will be materially increased.

The ilexible coils 3 and 39 are provided to permit movement of thecompressor without rupture of any of the tubing or other parts of thesystem.

It should also be noted that the pin and slot connection betweenpendulum 3'7 and link 51 permits slight movement of the pendulum such ascaused by road shocks, etc., without affecting the speed of thecompressor.

Although I have described the drive to the spindle by a belt, I havedone so merely by way of illustration and I may use any other type ofdrive commonly used for similar purposes, such as by chain or gears.Also, any type of speedvarying mechanism may be used to vary the speedof the compressor under varying conditions.

In the foregoing description, I have described a compression system ofrefrigeration in which the liquefied refrigerant is expanded through avalve into a chamber, but I Wish it to be understood that my inventioncontemplates the utilization of other forms of refrigeration. It maysometimes be desirable to use the flooded systern of refrigeration, thatis wherein a liquid refrigerant is circulated throughout the expansioncoil. This type assures the same degree of cooling throughout the entireexpansion chamber, as the mixture of liquid and gas reaches all pointsin the expansion chamber.

In some installations of a refrigerating system on an internalcombustion engine to cool the same, it is desirable to utilize theequipment already on the engine. One method of such an application is tocirculate the refrigerant through coils located in the jacketssurrounding the parts of the engine to be cooled and to circulate acooling medium through the jackets. With such an installation, it isessential that some cooling medium be used that will not congeal uponcontacting with the coils containing the refrigerant. For this purposewater is impractical, due to its relatively high freezing point.Solutions having low freezing points, such as those containing alcohol,glycerine or other substances capable of lowering the freezing point ofwater, can be effectively used for this purpose.

With such an application, any of the distinct types of refrigeratingsystems may be used for cooling the so-called non-freezing solutioncirculating through the jackets.

My invention also contemplates the application of an absorption type ofrefrigerating system to an internal combustion engine, therebyeliminating the use of a compressor. When using types of refrigeratingsystems other than that shown in the drawings, it may be desirable tocirculate the refrigerant through the coils in a direction differentfrom that shown, but such an arrangement could be easily made to meetthe requirements of the particular type of refrigerating system used.

In utilizing any type of refrigerating system to carry out my invention,I intend to use a refrigerant that will produce a maximum amount ofcooling per pound of refrigerant. By using such a refrigerant, theapparatus to produce the refrigerating effect can be relatively small,particularly as compared to a system using ammonia as a refrigerant.

In operation, the internal combustion engine is provided with apparatusas described, and when the engine is started, the compresser 2 startsworking to compress the refrigerant which is condensed in the condenser4 and passed to the receiver 5. The refrigerant is conducted from thereceiver to the expansion valves 8, which act to maintain a suicientpressure diierence to produce an expansion necessary for therefrigerating eifect. The refrigerant is expanded into the coils 16about the exhaust valve chambers which are connected in series withcoils about the intake valve chambers and coils 19 about the cylinders.If desirable, the refrigerant can be further circulated to jackets aboutbearings of the engine, constructed as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

From the last cooling coils, the refrigerant is conducted to the returnline 38 and thence back to the compressor, to be recompressed andrecirculated. As shown in Fig. 1, the compressor is in a position atwhich it will run at the lowest speed relative to that of the engine.When the vehicle carrying the engine is run up an inclined road, thependulum 47 will operate to move the compressor 2, so that the positionof the disc 52 will be changed, thereby changing the speed ratio tocause the compressor to operate at a somewhat higher speed compared tothat at which it operated before it was moved.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself tothe precise details of construction herein set forth, by Way ofillustration, as it is apparent that many changes and variations may bemade therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from thespirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In combination with an internal combustion engine, chambers in heatexchange relation with parts of said engine, a refrigerating system forintroducing an expanding refrigerant into said chambers and meansresponsive to an increase in the load on said engine for increasing therate of flow of said refrigerant.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinders,chambers arranged in heat exchange relation with said cylinders, anexpansion valve for each chamber, and means for operating said expansionvalves in unison.

3. In combination with an internal combustion engine chambers in heatexchange relation with parts of said engine, a refrigerating system forintroducing anl expanding refrigerant into said chambers and meansresponsive to an increase in the load on said engine for increasing therate of flow of said refrigerant, said means comprising a pendulumadapted to vary the drive ratio between a power shaft and a compressorfor said refrigerant.

EARLE S. READ.

